Machine for dipping pills



-.(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. .A. OOLTON.

. MAGHINE PQR DIPPING PILLS. N0. 540,538. Patented June 4,1895.

WITNESSES [WWW/V7952 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. OOLTON.

MACHINE FOR DIPPING PILLS. v No. 540,538. Patented June 4, 1895.

- By 63 7745M p4: cams Packs 60. PnoTaumo" WASNINGYON. n. c:

UNITED STATES PAT NT Grmcn.

ARTHUR COLTON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR DIPPING PI LLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,538, dated June 4,1895.

Application filed April 26, 1894.

.To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ARTHUR OOLTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Dipping Pillsg. and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had 'to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to pill dipping machines, and has for its object improvements in that class of machines in which a number of pills are brought into contact with a holder, and held in contact with the holder while they are dipped in a bath of liquid gelatine, or similar coating material.

In coating pills with any material that is to be applied ina liquid form, and is then to set and harden upon the pill and-form a coating over or around the pill, the coating material must be contained in a trough or pan, and the pill must be dipped down into the coating material from above. The practical way is to hold the pill by grasping it in some way, on one of its sides. Generally the pill is either picked up by inserting a needle in it, or by placing it over the mouth of a tubular opening or mouththat communicates with the hollow interior of a dipping bar. The

hollow dipping bar is connected in someway with an air exhaust pump, and upon exhausting the air from the interior of the ban-the pill is held by atmospheric pressure against the end of the tube, and can be immersed or partly immersed in the coating bath while held in this Way to the bar. In order to do rapid or continuous work, there must be a large number of bars, and each must be ar ranged to be rapidly connected to and disconnected from the pumping apparatus. The connection between the bar and the pump must be flexible, and the parts must work together with great smoothness, and must be handled with great care, or the pills will leave 7 their places on the mouths of the tubes and Serial No. 509,147. (No model.)

' using my improved machine, this liability is overcome.

'Another result of my invention is that the depth of immersion in the liquid is entirely subject to regulation, and the operator is not required to give that extreme care and attention to the machine that must be given to those that have heretofore been in use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the machine in perspective. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the perforated plate. Fig. 3 is a sec tional elevation. Fig. atis a sectional view of the air-pump. Fig. 5 shows in detail the passageways of the air-pump. 2 indicates the main frame, which is in the form of a table, from which rises at either end a pair of pillow blocks. The pair of pillow blocks, 3, 4, at one end support a shaft, at the middle part of which is a box shaped attachment forming the dipping box proper of the machine. The pillow blocks, 5, 6, at the opposite end, support a shaft, upon which is mounted the main driving wheel 7 and two crank wheels 9 and 10, one of the crank wheels, 9, being connected with the pitman of an air pump 12, and the other crank wheel 10 being connected by a pitman with an air pump 1-3. The air pumps 12 and 13 are alike, but are so connected to the crank wheels, that their piston strokes alternate so as to produce through the two of them a substantially continuous exhaust from the interior of the dipping box 16. I

The dipping box 16 occupies the. middle portion of a shaft 11, of which the two ends extend in the form of trunnions through the bearings of the pillow blocks 3 and 4; and on each projecting outer end of the shaft 11 is mounted one of the cylinders of the air pumps 12, 13. in the form of oscillating cylinders of the pendulum variety, and are so arranged that thevalves communicating with both sides of the piston head are connected with the interior of the hollow shaft 11, which forms the axis upon which the dipping box rotates. At one side the dipping box is finished with a seat, around the open mouth 11*, and upon this seat engages a flat perforated plate 17 held temporarily to the box by hooks 17 a and 17 and when the hooks 17 and 17 are released from engagement with the plate 17, it

These cylinders are air pumps made may be removed and replaced by a similar plate. Theplate 17 is filled with perforations, each of which is preferably provided with a countersunk mouth upon its outer side, within which countersink may be received one of the pills to be dipped, the pill dropping into the countersink to about one-quarter of its diameter. In place of the countersunk holes, any other shape or configuration adapted for the special class of pills to be dipped may be used, or the mouths of the various openings may be lined with rubber, if desired. The engaging surface around the mouth of the opening 11 may be provided, if desired, with a suitable packing ring, or the requisite protection against the inflow of air may be provided by accuracy in planing the engaging surfaces.

That portion of the hollow shaft 11 which lies within the box 16 is provided with a slot through the wall between the hollow interior of the shaft, and the hollow interior of the box, so that there is free communication be tween the two.

That portion of the hollow shaft which extends outward and forms the trunnions upon which the cylinders oscillate, is provided with the ports 26, 27, 28, 29,two of which, 26 and 27, communicate with the interior of the cylinder at one end, and the other of which, 28 and 29, communicate with the interior of the cylinder at the other end through a long passage way 34.. It is also provided with the escape passage ways 30, 31, 32, 33, which lead along the walls of the hollow shaft to the exterior air. The ports 26, 27, register with the passage ways 35 and 36 at one period during the oscillation of the cylinder, and at the period of registry permit the free communication of air between the interior of the hollow shaft and the interior of the cylinder. At another period, the passage ways 35 and 36 are brought into registry with the escapepassage ways 30 and 31, and this action alternates with the corresponding action between the passage ways 28, 29 and 34, and the escape passage ways 32 and 33, thus enabling me to employ a double acting air exhaust engine which oscillates on the hollow shaft upon which the dipping box 16 turns.

The dipping box 16 is journaled on the hollow shaft 11, and is provided with a partial pinion or rack concentric with the axis of the shaft 11. This rack 19 engages with a vertical rack 18, which rises from a vertically moving table 21. The table 21 is supported on the summit of a pin 22, one side of which is provided with rack teeth that engage with the pinion 2 15 upon a shaft turned bya winch 25. The shaft is supported in suitable hearings in the main frame 2. The pin 22, on the summit of which the table 21 is supported, is capable of vertical movement through a block 23 that is screwed to or forms apart of the main frame 2. On the upper surface of the table 21 is a pan 20, within which is placed the liquid gelatine to be used in coating the pills on the plate 17. The rack on the pin 22 is longer than the rack 18, and the turning of the handle 25 of the winch raises the table 21, the rack 18, and turns the dipping box 16 on its shaft until the rack 18 passes out of engagement with the partial pinion 19. When in this position, the dipping box has been reversed, and the plate 17 is horizontal, but below the dipping box, and in a position reverse to that shown in the drawings. A continued motion of the winch 25 continues to lift the table 21 and the pan 20, until the gelatine has been brought up sufficiently high to immerse, or partially immerse, the pills that are held on the plate 17 by atmospheric pressure, the amount of lift given at any particular time being determined by the operator, or, if desired, bya scale that can be placed upon the machine.

The pills to be dipped are placed upon the upper surface of the plate 17, while the plate is horizontal, and in its elevated position, as shown in the drawings; and they will at once take their position over the openings of the various holes and drop into the countersunk mouths of the holes in a position to prevent the free ingress of air through the holes. As soon as the air engines are set in motion,the air is exhausted from the box, and the pills are held securely against escape when the dipping box is revolved on its axis in the way described. As soon as a loaded plate has been dipped, it is returned to the position shown in the drawings by a reverse motion of the winch 25, the engines are stopped, and the plate 17 lifted off from the dipping box and laid aside in its loaded condition to enable the pills thathave been dipped to dry before they shall be reversed to be dipped on the opposite side, or removed for use if both clippings have been completed.

In order to make the second dipping, it is only necessary to place a plate, similar to plate 17, upside down on the top of a loaded plate on which the coating on the pills has been allowed to dry, reverse the two plates, bringing the second plate 17 to the bottom and the first plate 17 to the top, and lift the first plate 17 off, when the second plate 17 will be in condition to be placed on the dipping bar and hold the pills now on it, while the second dipping is being completed.

What I claim is- 1. In a pill dipping machine, the combination of an exhaust chamber, means for exhausting air therefrom, and a removable perforated plate forming one side of said exhaust chamber, substantially as described.

2. In a pill dipping machine, the combination of an exhaust chamber rotatably supported, means for exhausting the air therefrom, a gelatine pan supported below the ex haust chamber, means for rotating the chamber on its axis, and means for lifting the gelatine pan to bring its surface in contact with pills held to one side of the exhaust chamber, substantially as described.

3. In a pill dipping machine, the eombinachamber to'bring its removable side into prox IO tion of an exhaust chamber provided with imity with the gelatine on said gelatine sup hollow trunnions, air exhausting devices enport, substantially as described. gagingwithsaidhollow trunnions and adapted In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 5 to exhaust air through said trunnions from tion in the presence of two Witnesses.

the exhaust chamber, a removable perforated ARTHUR COLTON. dipping plate forming one side of said ex- Witnesses:

haust chamber, a support for a gelatine re- CHARLES F. BURTON,

ceptacle, and means for rotating the exhaust MARION A. REEVE. 

